


first love / late spring

by deere



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Late Night Conversations, Mutual Pining, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, also starring hythlodaeus as the unfortunate third wheel friend, but also i only mention her appearance a few times so you can easily glaze over it if you so wished, but y'all know what i mean, i guess it's technically hades/persephone, i suppose. in a sense, persephone is less ambiguous than most would probably prefer, this is cheesy bye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 13:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20564903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deere/pseuds/deere
Summary: mune ga hachikire-sōde.-"sometimes," she began, trying to catch his attention. "when i sit here, and i'm staring up at the night sky like this, i feel like i can make up shapes out of the patterns. realistically, their placement is random, and out of sync with each other. just big spheres of aether, out in the sea of obsidian. but with just a little encouragement..."( pre-sundering. )





	first love / late spring

“you shouldn’t make a habit of staying out late in the night, you know. it’s dreadful for your circadian rhythm.”

the familiar voice piqued the attention of the young woman, sat atop a bench and below the moon. expression shifted from innocent curiosity to a lighthearted joy, lips tugging into a bright grin. 

“perhaps.” she replied smartly, gaze returning to the glittering ceiling. “i like to watch the night sky. the stars are of a gorgeous phenomena.” 

even through her mask, hood pulled above her head, her enthusiasm was like a glow around her, obvious to any who would take a passing glance. her knees were pulled to her chest, and her body sat at the further end of the bench, as if she was expecting to share it sometime in the future. 

taking that as an invitation, the man approached, taking his seat close to her. he began to peek up at the stars, himself, if only to gaze upon their beauty the way that she did. 

“... sometimes,” she began, trying to catch his attention, “when i sit here, and i’m staring up at the sky like this, i feel like i can make up shapes out of the patterns. i know that realistically, their placement is random, and out of sync with each other. just big spheres of aether, out in the sea of obsidian. but with just a little encouragement…”

a gentle, dainty hand lifted above her head. her index finger stretched out, as if attempting to touch the stars. and, to her credit, though she couldn’t touch them physically, the man beside her watched as she spun them along her fingernail. she dragged a larger star into line with a few others— he could tell she’d put a bit of work into this before he had even approached. “... they can be so much more.”

attempting to discern the pattern she created, he laughed, breathily. “hiding secrets in the stars?” he goaded, eyes tracing lines between the constellations.

“if orion can do it, so can i,” she countered with a bit of gentle teasing in her tone, pulling her knees closer to her chest. her quick tongue earned another chuckle from the man sat next to her, and she beamed, glancing over to him. 

seeing the inquiry in his gaze as he glanced upon her creation, she leaned into his side and rested her head gently upon his shoulder, careful not to disturb him with the length of her mask. her hand lowered to find his own, grasping it with a lover’s gentle touch and lifting it to find her spot in the night sky once more.

“you must trace it, as if you’re connecting the dots,” she began, voice soft as she lead the man. her own finger stacked atop his, she guided him along the imaginary lines, forming what seemed to be a spoon of some sort. before he could open his mouth to ask, she continued. “looks a bit like a ladle, don’t you think?”

he nodded, and she laughed, her melodic voice carrying through the empty streets of amaurot. 

“i meant for it to look more like one of those… ah, what were they called…? bears?” she asked, laughing again as she admitted it. “you know, the creatures hythlodaeus concocted. i’ve grown fond of them.”

it took a few moments for the gears to turn in his head, but once it clicked, he grinned wide, trying not to laugh. her own mouth mirrored his upon seeing his reaction, her hands lifting to squeeze his arm in warning. he simply shook his head as a giggle escaped her, trying to find the words to respond with. 

“i-i mean… if you tilt your head a bit,” he laughed, and she squeezed his arm tighter, “... and you close one eye… maybe the other…”

the woman laughed heartily, smacking his arm and shaking her head. her laugh caused a chuckle to bubble from his own lips, face turning to meet her gaze through their masks. “you don’t even think it looks a little bit like it…?”

“mmh… it’s an abstract interpretation, to be sure.” he teased lightly, gazing into the darkness of the eye windows of her mask with the slight tug of a smile on his lips. “perhaps it’d be wise to name it by its inspiration. that way, you’ll not have to worry whether or not people can see it through your own eyes.”

rolling that thought around, what was visible of her expression shifted from mischief to thoughtfulness. the girl gazed up at the sky once more, silent for a few moments as she ran through possible names in her head. 

“perhaps… _ ’ursa major’ _ would be most fitting.” she finally spoke, the tongue of the amaurotine lingering in her thoughtful mumble. 

“big bear?” taking another look up at the sky, he traced the line she demonstrated once again. the longer he stared, the more clearly the outline formed of what he thought she must’ve seen in it. a small smile tugged at his lips. “well, he would need a little friend to compliment him, would he not?”

he lifted his own hand above their heads, now, and he could feel the other’s gaze on his movements as his fingers twirled, directing the larger stars above the constellation in a similar pattern. his creation was a bit smaller, and the pattern was almost flipped upside down, but it was the most he could do in such little time and with so little resources. 

still, when he glanced back over to his companion, he watched her parted lips pull into a serene smile at his display. 

“hades…” she mumbled wistfully, looking back to him. oh, how he longed to watch her eyes sparkle, as he was sure they must be now. perhaps if he just... reached out… 

gently, his fingertips grazed the glimmering white of her cover, and was surprised to find that she didn’t protest. even more so when she leaned in gently, as if urging him to remove the barrier, to gaze upon her face laid bare. 

he swallowed quietly, grasping the edges and lifting with the utmost care. the mask came off her face easily, revealing tousels of dark hair first, followed by downcast, golden eyes as she fixed her gaze upon the retreating mask shyly. though it took a few moments for her to lift her line of sight, slowly but surely, wide, curious eyes met with his own through the only other barrier keeping them separated. 

a nervous chuckle passed through her lips, and she tucked a curl of hair behind her ear, averting her gaze a few times more before she allowed herself to absorb the excitement flooding her veins. 

“persephone…” the ascian spoke softly, allowing the hand holding her mask to drift away, setting it down beside them on the bench. as he reached back to caress her cheek, she merely smiled, eyes fluttering shut as a rosy color bloomed in the wake of his touch. his eyes traced her features, absolutely _ enchanted _. 

“ah… please,” she began, lifting a hand to cover half her face. a soft chuckle hummed in her throat as she glanced up toward him. “you mustn't make me do this alone. it’s quite embarrassing, you know.”

when her small hand reached for his face, he swore he felt his own heart _ leaping _ from his chest. the soft pad of her index finger brushed the dull red of his mask, the quiet sound of the action being the only thing he could hear over his own heartbeat, at the current moment. and as she pulled the mask away, he was forced to wonder what sort of expression he was making— because he felt _ mad _, overcome with excitement and nerves and emotions he couldn’t even recognize. 

his thoughts came to an abrupt halt once persephone finally revealed him, gazing upon his face for the first time. his mind was filled with nothing but the wonder in her golden gaze, meeting his own with an intensity matched only by the beating in his chest. then, a soft smile began to overtake her, both hands reaching up to grasp his face with a gentleness he didn’t know was possible. 

“my, my, dear architect…” she teased lightly, barely above a whisper. her thumbs drifted against the apples of his cheeks in kind, hoping to see the blood rush to the surface of his skin in the same fashion as hers had. “... do you know, fair well, how incredibly _ radiant _ you are?”

her words did much to bring a rosy tint to his pale features, a furrow of his brow further proof of his mild embarrassment. hesitant hands pushed his brown locks from his eyes, her gaze lingering on the particularly odd lock of white cascading down his cheek. a shaky breath of wonder left her, and she shuffled closer to him on the bench, eyes shimmering. he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen something more dazzling.

“... well,” he began, breathless by the sight of her. “now who’s being embarrassing?” 

his tease brought the brightest of smiles to his counterpart’s eyes, one that made his heart stop dead in it’s tracks. what a fool he was. 

they were silent for a few moments, simply admiring each other’s features. it was an intimate thing to do, especially in the streets of amaurot at such a _ late _ hour. it almost felt scandalous— but neither was ever the type to color inside the lines, anywho.

it was persephone who broke the silence first, drawing in a short breath as she parted her lips to speak. the words died on her tongue, however, as she heard a voice call from behind them. 

“what are you two doing, being all secretive at this hour?”

both their eyes widened in panic, finally breaking their gazes to look away from the source of the voice. with a synchronized wave of their hand across their own faces, their masks had been replaced— though it did admittedly little to hide the burn on their cheeks. 

“you’re both lucky it’s just me, you know.” the voice of their mutual friend carried from between them— how long had he just been _ standing _ there, behind the bench? was the jig already up? “people would begin to talk if they saw such a scandalous duo on what’s beginning to look _ suspiciously _ like a _ date_, to me.”

“_quiet_, hythlodaeus,” hades spoke through the grit of his teeth, attempting to mask his embarrassment with aggression. 

“i-it was nothing of the sort!” persephone finally spoke out, though the indignant tone of her voice proved not the _ most _ persuasive. though hythlodaeus raised an eyebrow, the girl continued; “i had just been sitting here, minding my own business… and— and emet-selch thought to join me— _ ofhisownvoilition!!” _

her quick clarification of herself caused a surprised laugh to escape the man behind them, his elbow now jabbing into hades’ arm. “_ahh_, so the renowned architect is using his influence to woo innocents on the street, is it? i never pinned you for the type, i must admit.”

though the mask had returned to his face, both companions could sense the piercing glare beneath it as he stared toward hythlodaeus once more. “you’re toeing a _ very _ dangerous line with me right now,” he warned, though both knew it was a (mostly) empty threat.

“_well_, would you look at the time!” persephone exclaimed suddenly, pretending to glance down at the clock on her wrist that wasn’t there. scrambling from her place on the bench, she whistled, calling upon a large canine-like creature who appeared beside her moments later. it’s three heads, black as night, stared silently at the pair near the bench as it obediently perched at the young ascian’s side. 

“i’m afraid that i’ve become just _ dreadfully _tired—“ a short, faux yawn escaped her, “— and so i will bid you both _ adieu _ for the evening. thank you for your company, ha— _ emet-selch, _ and i shall catch up with you at a later date, hythlodaeus.”

with a short, rushed wave “goodbye,” she mounted the dog, patting the fur of it’s neck to urge it back toward her living space. it took off into the city with barely a sound besides the light padding of it’s paws on the ground, leaving hades and hythlodaeus beneath the streetlamp that persephone had once shared.

“well, if i didn’t know any better, i’d say she was actually flustered.” hythlodaeus mumbled, leaning his chin into his fist as he stared after the girl. “did i interrupt something?”

there was a brief silence before hades lifted a hand to slap his friend upside the head, letting a strung-out sigh escape him. “a fool you are, hythlodaeus. an imbecile. absolute _ buffoon_.”

“ow— you— _ my apologies_,” he shot back sarcastically, a grumble escaping him as he rubbed the ache aside his head. “one doesn’t often find their comrades _ canoodling _ in the streets after dusk, you know. if you ask me, _ i’m _ hardly to blame.”

despite hythlodaeus’ teases, hades couldn’t help but cast his gaze back toward where persephone had scampered off to. though he couldn’t say he’s seen many faces laid bare in his lifetime, he _ could _ say that she was the most dazzling to date.

some part of him, deep down, hoped she’d be willing to show him again, sometime. 

**Author's Note:**

> angst just isn't me... it's delicious sometimes but you know what else is delicious? fluff! sweet, sweet fluff. tooth-rotting fluff. and so i say unto ao3, let my babies be happy, lest i shall part these red seas,
> 
> thank you so much for reading! i hope you enjoyed!! ♡ ♡ ♡


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